Take two: new Rimac C-Two hypercar pokes fun at Richard Hammond

Fire extinguisher fitted to 258mph electric hypercar

FIRST CAME the Rimac Concept One, the car that threw Richard Hammond down a mountain and left him scrambling from a fiery wreck. Now comes the new Rimac Concept Two – and the latest electric hypercar has a special feature inspired by Richard Hammond’s accident.

The cheeky Croatian supercar company has fitted a fire extinguisher to its new C-Two. The leather strap that holds the emergency extinguisher it in place is inscribed: ” “In case of hill climb, extinguish fire”.

On learning of the witty line, Hammond joked: “I’m delighted. I’ve always wanted to have a real influence in car design. And now I have.”

Rimac says beneath the carbon fibre bodywork of the new C Two is a 120kWh battery and four electric motors that develop a combined 1,887bhp – or more than twice the power of the new Ferrari 488 Pista.

It’s a big jump from the original Rimac Concept One, which mustered just over 1,000bhp.

With so much power, the electric hypercar is claimed to be capable of blasting from 0-60 mph in just 1.85 seconds. Such claims put it on a collision course with the new Tesla Roadster, said to charge from 0–60 in 1.9 seconds.

Impressively, Rimac says the C-Two can accelerate to 100 mph in 4.3 seconds, 186 mph in 11.8 seconds, and is capable of reaching a top speed of 258 mph. Who will put these claims to the test is another matter – Richard Hammond, anyone?

The car maker claims the 120 kWh battery offers the potential for driving more than 400 miles on a single charge.

And instead of a key, it uses facial recognition technology to allow owners to unlock and start the car.

The price for the model that puts the hyper into the electric car is a cool £2.3m.